brian_rs/ss

ok so i'm an f-body guy. got three of the damn things. a '68 rs/ss 383 4spd show car, a 2002 slp 345 hp SS, and a 2000 SS 400 rwhp h/c/i working girl

and yeah i'm starting to get tired of f-bodies(poor handling, heavy, weak rear end etc). now i will have a budget of about $25-35k. so the way i see it i have a few options. (selling the 68 or the 02 is not happening any time soon.)

1) continue modding the 2000. still haven't decided what direction to go though.

2) sell the 2000, pick up a C5 Z06(i've always wanted one), do bolt ons, exhaust, cam etc.

3) sell the 2000, pick up a C6 Z06, finance a few grand and deal with a pretty much stock car for a few years untill i can afford to mod.

4) your suggestions??

input from those that have made the transition from f-body to vette would be much appreciated. and i'm not too educated on vettes, are there any inherent problems i should be aware of? like do vettes share the crappy clutch hydraulics with f-bodies? what are the pros/cons etc.

transamsam98

iTrader: (56)

I have owned 4 fbodies and recently made the switch to a 98 vette did heads cam and bolt ons and there is no looking back. Even though fbodies hold a special place in my heart the vette is just just so much fun and civilized. if you have the cash for the c6 z06 do it hands down the most fun I have ever had driving.

98z-28redcamaro

iTrader: (3)

c6 z06 all the way....

z28MP

iTrader: (7)

I had a midly modded 98 z28 and bought my 98 c5 when I was home for R&R. I only had about 10 days to enjoy the vette but it was heads and shoulders above my z28. I have since modded the crap out of the vette but its still a work in progess. I haven't driven it since but I can't wait to get behind the wheel of it again. The only problems that I have heard of seems to be the wiring is sometimes pretty shady and a lot of the C5's have the column lock issue. Other than that I haven't heard too much or experienced any other problems with it of course its been about 2 years since I last drove it. If you have the stock parts lying around off your 2000 camaro you could put some of them back on and keep your h/c/i set up if you want if you go with a c5z. Its such a better car go for it you won't regret it.

Pro Stock John

iTrader: (34)

You should see if you have any local friends who will let you drive their C5Z or C6Z's, then make your choice.

I've had about 7 4th gens, and I had one 2002 C5Z. The latter is very cool, and is raw and racy. I only sold mine thinking I'd get a C6Z but I've been busy funding and restoring my '51 Merc.

A stock C5Z is a mid to low 12 second car stock and a blast to drive. Just get a rear partition to cut down on the interior noise.

C6Z I've ridden shotty and they are super cool. I personally live in a very urban area so driving a 500 hp stick car isn't my biggest priority.

I'd say that my C5Z did not hook on the stock tires in 1st gear and the bottom of 2nd gear. I would assume that non-OEM tires might hook better. I only had wheel hop like twice. I had the steering wheel slightly cocked and got some hop as I was getting on it.

brian_rs/ss

Thanks guys! love the responses so far. it's gonna be a tough decision, but i think for sure i am gonna make the switch. the only thing that i really need to decide is c5z or c6z and that will come down to how my budget pans out.

oh and i got a couple Q's.

wheel hop. how big of an issue is it? how is it fixed? i've seen some things about replacing c5 shafts with c6z shafts, is that to prevent breakage from wheel hop?

lowering. aren't corvettes lowered with bolts instead of springs like f-bodies. is there more to it than that? shock travel, caster/camber etc?

DD ability of vettes. now this is important to me, i drive the **** out of my cars. even if they aren't supposed to be my DD i'de like to be able have that option for the 3 days a week that i attend car meets. or the days when i get a wild hair and might wanna spend the whole day in the car etc.

wilson34

iTrader: (7)

I hate working on 4th gen fbodies!

So C5 or the C6Z06 gets my vote

z28MP

iTrader: (7)

If I had mine with me I would DD it. Right now I DD a 2001SS and I don't have a problem with it. I think a vette would be a better car to DD than a camaro unless you got to haul kids or something in the back seat. The run flats I think are garbage so I'd try to get rid of those or find one that doesn't have them. A little bit of road noise and I don't think they handle that great in the rain.

brian_rs/ss

no kids. just my gf. who also happens to love corvettes

bad in the rain? even with good all weather tires? i've only had one incident with spinning a camaro in the rain and it was on bald tires

98TA Bandit

iTrader: (2)

Dude skip the C5 go C6 for sure, these C5 are horrible about grounds/sensors upkeep is sad, unless u baby it and make it a garage queen, go C6 so many more improvments trust me in the long run u wont regret it. Go hang out on corvetteforum and look at all the electrical problems under c5 tech atleast 3-5 new post a day, its sad...

ysb02

C6s have the same issues, they're just not as old as c5 thus you don't see it happening as much. I'm sure in a few years you'll see the same thing said about C6 and how C7s are so much better.

brian_rs/ss

i did some research and it seems that there are 13 grounds scattered through the car. if all of these are cleaned and given a good coat of dielectric grease to prevent corrosion then it will solve the majority of the electrical gremlins the c5's have. i did see however that some people experience trouble with power windows and door locks even after fixing the ground. but some how i think it's a GM thing cuz my camaros both have weak windows and one of them has a bad door lock.

ysb02

If you think that's bad try imagining your brand new $75k c6z just had it's roof fly off or dropped a valve GM quality is GM quality.

I think if I had to do it over again I'd just buy a cheap used FRC and build a motor + blower combo.

brian_rs/ss

realisticaly i will probaly pick up a used c5z, clean low mileage. do an EPS 222/226 cam only, kooks, o/r x, xr-1, tick mc, a decent clutch, decent tires and eventually i would love a set of coil overs. gonna try to keep the mods under 5k not including coil overs.




so...who wants to buy a h/c SS?

z28MP

iTrader: (7)

Yes I believe with the very limited experience I had the stock run flats aren't that great in the rain. I wasn't fish tailing and getting side ways but you feel it wanting to lose traction. This is not really getting on it either. It was coming down pretty good though, rwd light powerful car too so you know. Didn't have a chance to try them out with it just being wet out. So the results I would think would be different.

sway99bird

iTrader: (22)

C5 z06

Camaro Junky

brian,

Try an Air bag system for the 02? If not I would test drive a C5 ZO6 with mods and a C6 ZO6 with no mods and see what you think.

brian_rs/ss

Yeah I have a friend with a c5 frc built to the hilt, I'm sure I can get him to let take it for a spin. I just don't know anybody with a c6z. Guess I could go find one at dealership and test-drive it.

Camaro Junky

Just don't be surprised if the stealerships act like dicks man. They get funny with the vettes.

dads toy

I sold a 1998 TA and later bought a base 2007 C6. much nicer car. I daily drive it and have no problems in the rain. get a used 2008 C6 it has the LS3 which makes 430hp and can be bought for under 40k. I also had 4 Camaro's and 2 TA's.